Catching Up With The Past
by ShastenRothe
Summary: Kyle's past comes back to haunt him
1. Good As Dead

"Please tell me again why exactly I let you drag me here again," Lily demanded  
  
as she and Kyle crossed across a busy street to Java Haven.  
  
"Because I'm sick of you complaining about the slop in the on call room. Plus  
  
they've got the best coffee in miles."  
  
"What about Star Bucks?" she challenged as they entered.  
  
"Starbucks is overrated," he replied as he walked up to the counter.  
  
"Hey Nikki. What's the special today?"  
  
"Caramel Cinnamon Roll, Caramel Apple, Raspberry, and 'Death by Chocolate'  
  
triple tall mocha cocoa cappuccino. I do suggest a double dose of Tylenol after the last  
  
one though. Gives you quite a bit of a migraine. We can't be held responsible though,"  
  
she said with a laugh.  
  
"I'll take a caramel cinnamon roll tall," Kyle responded.  
  
"Since when do you drink 'girly' coffee?" wondered Lily.  
  
"Since I tasted the caramel cinnamon roll. What are you going to have?"  
  
"Give me a double tall Raspberry."  
  
"Good choice," replied Nikki as Kyle handed her a ten. She tried to hand him  
  
back his change, but his mind was on other things as the door opened and a familiar face  
  
stepped in.  
  
"Kyle, the change. Kyle? Are you okay?" Lily asked. He turned his gaze away  
  
from the door and back to Lily who was holding their coffee.  
  
"We need to get out of here. Nikki, keep the change. See you later," he spoke  
  
hurriedly as he rushed outside. His heart was pounding rapidly in his chest as a wave of  
  
nausea came over him. This wasn't happening.  
  
"Kyle!" Lily shouted as she came out of the coffee shop looking concerned.  
  
"What's going on? You look like you're going to be sick."  
  
"I'll be fine. Let's just get out of here and I'll be fine," he insisted as he grabbed  
  
his coffee from her hands. With that he took off, leaving Lily to trail behind him.  
  
"What the hell is going on with you?" Lily demanded as she caught up with Kyle  
  
in the on call room.  
  
"Nothing. I don't want to talk about it."  
  
"Well I do. So talk."  
  
"He's just somebody from my past."  
  
"And?"  
  
"And none of your business."  
  
"Like it or not, it is my business. You work for me. I need to know if this person  
  
is a threat."  
  
"He was my dealer," Kyle uttered in a tone barely audible.  
  
"Your dealer?!"  
  
"My dealer. Lily, the last time I saw him was five years ago when I sent him to  
  
jail."  
  
"Well it looks like he got out."  
  
"If he is out and he finds out I'm here, I'm basically going to be a human target. He finds me, I'm as good as dead." 


	2. Be Careful

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING ASSOC. WITH JA.  
  
"Kyle, we need to call the cops and let them know he's in Hartford," stated Lily.  
  
"Lily, there is no 'we' in this. Whatever 'we' are, you are not getting involved in  
  
this. Believe it or not I don't want to see you get hurt. Josh plays dirty. If he realizes I'm  
  
here and you make it know you're connected to me, he'll go after you to get to me. Plus,  
  
it's not like I can call the cops and say, 'This guy I ratted out five years ago is out of  
  
prison and living in my town.' It's not a crime to live in Hartford."  
  
"But."  
  
"But nothing. It's over. Said and done," Kyle replied as he walked out.  
  
"Drew, I need a favor," Kyle said as he walked into his patient's room.  
  
"Sure. What can I do for you?" the teen asked as he looked up from his  
  
computer.  
  
"You're a computer wiz, right?"  
  
"Yeah. What do you need?"  
  
"I need you to access someone's criminal records for me. Can you do that?"  
  
"Piece of cake. Name?"  
  
"Joshua Alexander Cantrell."  
  
"One count of armed robbery in 1991. Served six months in jail. Three counts of  
  
drug trafficking along with three counts of dealing in 1999. Sentenced to ten years in  
  
prison. Served five years and was released last month on parole."  
  
"So it really was him."  
  
"Are you in some kind of trouble?"  
  
"Let's just say my past is catching up with me Drew. I made some pretty stupid  
  
decisions 'back in the day.' One of them was doing Speed."  
  
"You did Speed? I didn't coin you as a ex-druggie."  
  
"Most people don't," he said as his pager went off.  
  
"Duty calls. I'll be back later. Get some rest," he ordered as he left.  
  
He barely slept a wink that night. He couldn't stop thinking about Josh. If Josh  
  
was in town and found him, Kyle was dead, no questions asked. It was only a matter of  
  
time. The Joshua Cantrell he knew had unlimited resources tied to anything and  
  
everything. He could track down every time anyone smoked a cigarette or sneezed. He  
  
prayed that Josh's stay in Hartford would be a short lived one. He didn't want dragged  
  
back into that world again. He knew for certain he wouldn't make it out alive if he got  
  
pulled back into his old life.  
  
After finally realizing any hopes of sleep were not coming, Kyle got up and got  
  
dressed. The apartment was completely silent, an unusual event for Donna and her  
  
daughter to participate in. Then it hit him. Donna was visiting her mother in Florida and  
  
wouldn't be home for two weeks. He had the place to himself.  
  
"That's one good thing," he muttered as he pulled on a pair of shoes. With a  
  
sense of nervousness, he jogged downstairs to his car. Before pulling out of his parking  
  
space he looked around cautiously then stepped on the gas, heading for Amy's. Maybe  
  
there was something she could do.  
  
"Kyle, this is certainly a pleasant surprise," quipped Maxine as he stepped into  
  
the kitchen. The smell of cinnamon rolls baking filled the air, making his stomach  
  
rumble.  
  
"I was up so I thought I'd visit."  
  
"You look like you didn't get much sleep. Did you have a late shift?"  
  
"No. I just couldn't sleep."  
  
"Oh," she said as she walked over to the stove.  
  
"Is Amy here? I need to talk to her."  
  
"No Kyle. I'm sorry she's not. She had an early case this morning and left just  
  
after seven."  
  
"Well there goes that. Guess I'll swing over to the court house," he replied as he  
  
exited, not saying good-bye.  
  
"We'll take a fifteen minutes recess," Amy announced as she stood and walked  
  
back for her office. She needed a break in the worst way. There was no way she could  
  
have taken another minute of Mr. McIntosh calling his ex wife Ginny Cooper the self  
  
absorbed workaholic bitch. Upon opening her chambers' door, robes in hand, she found  
  
Kyle standing by the window.  
  
"Kyle. What are you doing here? Not that it's not good to see you or anything.  
  
It's just unusual that you show up at the courthouse."  
  
"I need some help."  
  
"What kind of help?" she asked as she sat down at her desk.  
  
"Legal I suppose."  
  
"What's going on?"  
  
"I put my dealer away in jail five years ago. He was supposed to serve a ten year  
  
sentence, but he didn't. He's out on parole."  
  
"And?"  
  
"I saw him yesterday at Java Haven."  
  
"Are you positive it was him?"  
  
"Amy, I think I know what my ex-dealer looks like. You memorize their face  
  
pattern when you're craving a high. When I was in withdraw, that's all I could think  
  
about was Josh. All I could think about was meeting him to get my next fix. It was most  
  
definitely him."  
  
"Did he make any threat towards you?"  
  
"No, not yet."  
  
"Then I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but unless he's made a physical threat  
  
against you, there's nothing you can do."  
  
"I thought so. Thanks," Kyle said as he stood and headed for the door.  
  
"Hey Kyle."  
  
"Yeah?" he asked, turning around.  
  
"Be careful."  
  
"I'll try."  
  
He stood on the corner, waiting for the bus. The stupid parole meetings were  
  
wasting his time. Sure he was out of prison, but once a week he had to go to the court  
  
house so they could see he was still being a "model citizen". Yea right. Josh Cantrell, a  
  
model citizen. He heard the door of the juvenile court building door swing open behind  
  
him. Impatiently he tapped his foot, looking at his watch. When was the stupid bus  
  
coming? The slamming of a car door made him look up. Just ahead of him sat a car  
  
containing a very, very familiar looking man.  
  
' It couldn't be,' he thought to himself. 'There's no way.' The car started and  
  
pulled to the very corner Josh was standing on.  
"Oh my god. That little stupid ass nark. He's gonna regret it," Josh said out loud  
  
as he reached in his pocket for his cell phone. Dialing a number, he held it up to his ear  
  
and waited for it to ring.  
  
"Damon. It's Josh. Yea. You'll never believe who I just saw." 


	3. Phone Calls and Visits

He spent the remainder of his free afternoon sitting in front of the T.V. worrying  
  
himself sick. Amy's words ran through his mind, playing over and over. Until Joshua  
  
tried to kill him, there was no legal actions he could take. So basically the only option he  
  
had was to wait until he had a gun to his head to ask for legal help. It was a comforting  
  
thought. The government at work. He knew Josh was after him. So what if the cops  
  
didn't? He did. It was all too coincidental. Look at him. He was starting to become  
  
paranoid and he wasn't even high.  
  
It was nearly eleven o'clock that night when his cell phone rang. He debated  
  
whether or not to answer it, but if he didn't and it was Lily, she'd kill him.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Well if it isn't my man K." Kyle felt his heart begin beating so fast he thought it  
  
would break out of his chest. As his palms grew sweaty, he replied cautiously,  
  
"J. Josh."  
  
"You sound surprised K."  
  
"Why are you calling me?"  
  
"Can't a guy call his friend?"  
  
"Since when am I your friend Josh? I put you in jail."  
  
"That's all a part of the past. I'm clean man. No Speed, no coke, no nothing. I  
  
want to start fresh with you man. Forget about everything."  
  
"How can you forget the five years you spent in jail?"  
  
"Just let me try."  
  
"Why should I trust you? Last time I saw you, you said you'd kill me."  
  
"Trust. People change K."  
  
"I'll believe that when I see it."  
  
"See it. Meet me downtown at Route 56."  
  
"I don't drink anymore Josh."  
  
"So get a club soda or something."  
  
"Josh, I moved here for a reason. To get rid of you and the rest of them. Until you  
  
showed up today, I never had to second guess my addiction. Just do me a favor and stay  
  
out of my life. I'm actually starting to get it back on track." With that, Kyle hung up and  
  
walked into his bedroom. Completely exhausted, he sprawled out on top of the covers  
  
with his clothes still on. With in seconds, he was asleep.  
  
"Why do you look so happy?" Lily questioned as Kyle walked into the lounge  
  
the next morning.  
  
"I actually got sleep. Not an hour or two. Almost eight. I haven't had sleep like  
  
that for a long long time," he said with a fake grin.  
  
"So is that Josh guy still around?"  
  
"Not that I know of. Didn't see him at all yesterday," he said, lying through his  
  
teeth.  
  
"Well that's good," she replied as the door opened and a nurse entered.  
  
"Dr. McCarty, there's somebody waiting at the front desk that wishes to see  
  
you." Curious as to who his visitor was, Kyle stood up and walked out into the hallway.  
  
"There he is, right there," she said, pointing. As soon as his eyes laid upon the  
  
tall, long brown haired male, Kyle knew who it was.  
  
"Josh, what are you doing here?" The man turned around revealing a newly  
  
pierced eyebrow and chin.  
  
"There you are Kyle. What's going on?"  
  
"What's going on? I'm trying to figure out how exactly you found out where I  
  
work, that's what's going on."  
  
"Do you really under estimate me that much man? I knew you'd never meet me  
  
by will so I found the next best way."  
  
"By stalking me?" he hissed in anger.  
  
"Dude, chill. I'm not stalking anyone. I just did a search of your records."  
  
"In my book, 'dude', that's considered stalking," Kyle said as he began walking  
  
away.  
  
"Kyle, I just want to talk to you. Is that too much to ask for?"  
  
"It is when you almost killed me."  
  
"I keep telling you. That was Damon's fault. He switched your pills. Not me."  
  
"I almost died. I don't care who did it. Now either leave me the hell alone and get  
  
out of my life, or I'm calling security."  
  
"Chill man," Josh said as he stood still, showing no intentions of moving.  
  
"You know what will happen if I call security and tell them that you've been  
  
harassing me? They're going to drag you to the good ol' HPD. Once you're there, they're  
  
gonna find out you hacked into god knows what to find my records. You don't want to go  
  
back to jail for something that stupid, do you?"  
  
"You wouldn't."  
  
"Oh but I would."  
  
"You haven't seen the last of me K. You haven't seen the last," he announced as  
  
somewhat of a warning as he headed around the corner and out the doors. 


	4. Miss Cleo and One Track Minds

Kyle smiled as he watched Josh walk away. That was Joshua Alexander Cantrell  
  
for you. He was all talk. If Kyle had taken all of his so called threats seriously, he'd be a  
  
medical miracle for cheating death the most amount of times. He turned around and  
  
headed for the ER, deciding to make himself useful.  
  
"Kyle, wait up!" Lily shouted from the end of the hallway. He kept walking,  
  
knowing exactly why she wanted him to wait.  
  
"Are you deaf?" she asked as she stopped beside him, breathing heavily.  
  
"No."  
  
"Then why didn't you wait?"  
  
"Because I know what you want."  
  
"Since when did you become a 'Miss Cleo?'" she wondered aloud.  
  
"Miss who?"  
  
"Miss Cleo, the television 'tarot card/psychic' lady."  
  
"How do you know who Miss Cleo is?"  
  
"Don't try and change the subject."  
  
"Look, Lily. I don't talk about it a lot with people. My own family doesn't even  
  
know."  
  
"Your family doesn't know you almost died?"  
  
"Lily, there's a lot about my family that you don't know about."  
  
"Please Kyle. Just tell me. Friend to friend, or whatever the hell we are right  
  
now."  
  
"I was on Speed then I started in on morphine. Josh and his sidekick Damon  
  
Walters were my suppliers. I used every penny I had and every penny of my father's bank account to curb my addiction. I was popping once then twice then three or four  
  
times a day. Some days I lost count. There were days I couldn't tell you what two plus  
  
two was because I'd be so stoned. One day I bought a single dose off of Damon just to  
  
hold me over until the next 'shipment.' Almost immediately after taking it, I knew  
  
something was wrong. I looked up at Damon as I fell to the floor. He just stood there and  
  
laughed as I lay helpless. From what everyone told me, he left me on my apartment floor  
  
for two days until he finally realized that I wasn't going to wake naturally. When I woke  
  
up in the hospital, I was informed that if Damon hadn't brought me in that day, I would  
  
have been dead. I can't imagine that."  
  
"Did you keep using?"  
  
"Until they kicked me out of residency and sent me to rehab. Lily, I can't believe  
  
I was ever that stupid."  
  
"We all make mistakes Kyle. Believe me. We all make mistakes. Look, why  
  
don't you take the rest of the day off? You could use some time to sort this all out."  
  
"Did I just hear you right? Sergeant S.U.M.A. suggesting that I take time off?!"  
  
"Dare I ask what S.U.M.A. stands for?"  
  
"Stick. Up. My. Ass."  
  
"Who came up with that?"  
  
"I've been sworn to secrecy. Look, I need to stay busy. I don't need to go home  
  
and wallow in my 'druggie' days. That will just push me to drink and I don't want to go  
  
there right now. Believe me."  
  
"Anything I can do to lighten your mood?" asked Lily.  
  
"Nothing you could do in public without getting arrested," Kyle said with a smug  
  
grin on his face.  
"Men," she sighed.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"They all have one thing on their minds."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"A prepositional phrase."  
  
"A what? Never mind. So what is that all men have on their minds?"  
  
"None of your business," Lily replied as she walked away leaving Kyle laughing  
  
to himself. 


	5. Going Nowhere

"So, are you ever going to tell me what you believe all men to have on their  
  
mind?" Kyle asked as he and Lily walked into the lounge at the end of their shift.  
  
"Maybe, maybe not," she said temptingly.  
  
"Look, why don't we discuss this over dinner. My treat," he offered, pulling on a  
  
gray t-shirt.  
  
"Is that so?" she asked.  
  
"An un-weird, just friends or whatever the hell we are dinner. Sound good?"  
  
"As long as it's not sushi, I'm game."  
  
"How about Gianni's? I could go for some Italian."  
  
"Fine by me."  
  
"My place at seven?" Kyle suggested as he pulled his backpack onto his  
  
shoulder.  
  
"Sure," Lily said, "Your place at seven."  
  
'This day couldn't get any better,' Kyle thought to himself as he parked his car in  
  
the parking lot across the street from his apartment and got out.  
  
'Well it could, but I'll take what I've got.' With that, he began the walk to his  
  
apartment. As he reached the corner and started to cross, he heard someone screaming  
  
behind him. He turned around to face an extremely frantic looking man.  
  
"Please. Help me. My friend needs help. He's hurt real badly."  
  
"Slow down. What happened?"  
  
"He got in this fight with some guy and he's hurt real bad."  
  
"Where is he?"  
  
"Down here. Can you help him?"  
  
"It's your lucky day. I'm a doctor. Take me to him," Kyle instructed. The man  
  
took off with Kyle close behind him. Before he knew it, Kyle found himself in an empty  
  
alleyway.  
  
"Where is he?" Kyle asked, turning his back to the man.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Can you think of where he might have gone? Let's go find him."  
  
"You're not going anywhere except for the land of unconsciousness," the man  
  
explained as he removed a gun from his belt and struck Kyle in the head. A world of  
  
black consumed him as nothingness swept over him.  
  
An intense throbbing caused Kyle to awaken suddenly. His eyes winced as they  
  
met the light in the room. Closing them for a second, Kyle took a deep breath and tried  
  
again. This time, his eyes squinted open in succession. His hand moved slowly to his  
  
aching head. As it brushed across his forehead, his hand came in contact with a strange  
  
stickiness. Bringing his hand down to eye level, Kyle saw that it was covered in blood.  
  
What the hell had happened to him? Better yet, where was he? 


	6. Not An Option

An intense throbbing caused Kyle to awaken suddenly. His eyes winced as they met the  
  
light in the room. Closing them for a second, Kyle took a deep breath and tried again. This time,  
  
his eyes squinted open in succession. His hand moved slowly to his aching head. As it brushed  
  
across his forehead, his hand came in contact with a strange stickiness. Bringing his hand down  
  
to eye level, Kyle saw that it was covered in blood. What the hell had happened to him? Better  
  
yet, where was he?  
  
"Good you're awake I see," a voice said as Kyle opened his eyes wider, now used to  
  
the light.  
  
"Who are you? Why am I here?"  
  
"Come on Kyle, you don't recognize my voice?"  
  
"Should I?"  
  
"It's me Damon," he said, causing Kyle to freeze in fear.  
  
"What are you going to do to me?"  
  
"What makes you think I'd do anything to you?"  
  
"Well, for starters, I've got blood pouring from my head."  
  
"That was necessary. Josh and I doubted you'd come 'willingly.'"  
  
"Damn right. Now why am I here?"  
  
"To be reacquainted with someone or shall I say something you used to know."  
  
"Please. Don't."  
  
"Why not K? Just think about how it used to feel. That euphoria. The anxiety of it all.  
  
Don't you miss it?"  
  
"No. I have and WILL do anything to stay away from doing drugs again. Nothing  
  
could ever make me go back."  
  
"Nothing?"  
  
"Nothing," he said firmly, pulling his saturated hand away from his head.  
  
Could you maybe give me something to soak this up with?"  
  
"Why should I?"  
  
"I don't know Damon. Maybe because somewhere deep, deep, deep, deep inside of  
  
you, there's actually some humanity and kindness."  
  
"Here," Damon said, tossing him a huge chunk of gauze and a bandana.  
  
"Looks like you were ready."  
  
" We had to promise Josh that we wouldn't use extreme means of torture which  
  
included letting you bleed to death."  
  
" Oh how nice of him. Remind me to send him a thank you note," Kyle said as he  
  
pressed the pile of gauze to his head and tied the bandana tightly around it.  
  
So what exactly is Josh's plan?"  
  
" I don't know. All I know is that I'm supposed to watch you."  
  
" For how long?"  
  
" Until he comes to get me."  
  
" That's Josh for you. Highly original."  
  
" You always said he was the smartest person you knew."  
  
" Damon, I was high! I didn't know any better when I was saying that."  
  
" Good point," Damon said with a laugh.  
  
" So why are you and Josh still friends?"  
  
" He keeps me hooked up."  
  
" Damon, why don't you kick it?"  
  
" Because I can't."  
  
" You can't? Damon, look at me. If you would have told me five years ago that I was  
  
going to be clean in the future, I would have told you that you were crazy. Now look at me.  
  
Not only am I back in my residency, but I'm clean."  
  
" That's you man." Taking a deep breath, Kyle put his head up and looked Damon in  
  
the eyes. He could see the fear reflecting in the deep blue irises.  
  
" Damon, you don't have to rely on Josh for the rest of your life. If you need help getting  
  
clean, I'll help you."  
  
" You'd really do that for me Kyle? Even though I almost killed you?"  
  
" Forget about the past Damon. I know where you're coming from. I'm willing to help  
  
you if you're willing to seek help."  
  
" Thanks. I'll keep that in mind," Damon said as a knock sounded on the door and Josh  
  
entered.  
  
" Damon, go get in the car waiting by the curb. I'll be out in a minute."  
  
" I mean what I said Damon," Kyle shouted as Damon obediantly stood and walked out  
  
the door.  
  
" Look. K. Whatever you told Damon, forget about it. He's not going to listen to you."  
  
Changing the subject, Kyle said,  
  
" So what exactly are you going to do with me? Cause if I'm going to die so, I'd like to  
  
know."  
  
" Why would I kill you K?" Josh asked, flashing a sinister and evil smile.  
  
" First of all, last time I checked, my name was Kyle, not K. Secondly, I wouldn't put  
  
the idea past you. Look at all you've done so far."  
  
" Good point. Then again, look at all you've done to me so far. Who's to say you don't  
  
deserve to meet an untimely demise?"  
  
" What have I done to you to deserve to die?"  
  
" I don't know. Hmm..... you put me in jail for starters. You ratted me and my dealers  
  
out to the fuzz. They put me through drug rehab. When I got out last month I had to struggle to  
  
find someone that would sell to me. I'm just getting back on my feet. Why wouldn't I kill you?"  
  
Josh pointed out as he withdrew a gun from his back pocket.  
  
" Are you going to shoot me? Huh?"  
  
" No. The though ran across my mind, but that's not an option," he said as he  
  
repocketed the gun.  
  
" So what are you going to do to me?"  
  
" Make you suffer," Josh said, yet again flashing his evil smile before walking out the  
  
door.  
  
**AUTHOR'S NOTE- HAHAHAHA....I'm evil. I bet no one will read this part and I don't  
  
blame you. I'm kinda just using this to take up space and leave a suspense. This can be my little****  
  
place where I say the following. I DO NOT own Judging Amy or anyone affiliated with**

****

** it or on it. I do however own the following: Nikki the coffee lady, Drew the teenage **

****

****

**computer boy, Josh Cantrell, and Damon Waters. **  
He had no concept of what was happening. One moment he remembered sitting, watching Josh flash his smile as he walked out. The next he was pinned to the floor as the room broke out into a firey rage. Unbelievable pain erupted through his body as a deep darkness eveloped him.


	7. Anytime

He wasn't sure what woke him first; the excruiating pain in his chest, or the bright  
  
light shining in his eyes. Was he dead?  
  
'Is this heaven?' he thought to himself, trying to make the thoughts more logical.  
  
His brain felt as if someone had taken an egg beater to it.  
  
'Maybe if I close my eyes, the pain will go away,' he wondered. With great ease he  
  
closed his eyes and was greated with instant comfort.  
  
The next few hours were extremely blurred and confusing. He wasn't sure how,  
  
but he vaguely remembered someone lifting him into a car. Were they taking him to the  
  
hospital? What was happening? The car stopped and he could feel them lifting him out of  
  
the car. He could feel them carrying his body up some sort of incline, then there was no  
  
movement. Out of the corner of his eye he could see feet moving away from him.  
  
'Where am I?' Kyle asked himself as he struggled to hang onto the bit of  
  
consciousness he had. Opening his eyes as wide as he could bare, Kyle soon realized  
  
where exactly he was. They had dropped him off at his apartment. Fumbling with the pot  
  
he knew was beside him, he quickly withdrew a spare key. Fumbling against his pain,  
  
Kyle struggled to stick the key into the keyhole. A welcomed sense of relief calmed his  
  
aching body as the key made a small click. Just a turn and a push. That's all it took for  
  
him to be homefree. As soon as he was inside, he could help himself. Struggling with the  
  
vicious nausea and dizziness, Kyle propeled his body in a slow crawl to his bedroom. He  
  
wasn't entirely sure how exactly he got into his bed, but he did. Very carefully he peeled  
  
off his soiled shirt, exposing a large ghastly wound on his chest. It needed to be cleaned  
  
before it got infected. How was he supposed to handle that when he could barely breath  
  
without wincing? There was only one way to solve his problem.  
  
" Kyle, why the hell am I here?"  
  
" Because there was no one else to call and I need your help."  
  
" What kind of help is that?"  
  
" Look. Heather. I can't get into the details. Are you going to help me or not?"  
  
" Fine!"  
  
" Can you grab my bag? It's in the front closet."  
  
" Why do I need your bag?"  
  
" NO questions."  
  
" Okay, okay," she said as she walked to the closet and removed his bag.  
  
Where are you?"  
  
" In the room. With the Metallica poster."  
  
" At least you have good taste in music," Heather joked as she went to his room  
  
and opened the door.  
  
" OH. MY. GOD. Kyle!"  
  
" It looks a lot worse than it really is," he explained as she rushed to his side.  
  
" Who did this to you?" she asked as she took out a stethescope.  
  
" Nobody that concerns you."  
  
" Look. Kyle. Obviously you didn't just trip and fall."  
  
" What makes you say that? How do you really know?"  
  
" Because people don't get headwounds like that after a trip over the curb. Now  
  
shut up and let me listen," Heather insisted.  
  
" No," Kyle said firmly, pushing her away.  
  
" Why not?"  
  
" My heart and lungs are fine, I know that."  
  
" Here's the deal. You're NOT the doctor in this scenario. You're the patient. I'm  
  
the doctor," she pointed out, trying again.  
  
" I said no!"  
  
" What is wrong with you? Are you hiding something? Huh? Now let's try this  
  
again. You let me listen, or I'm calling 911. Your choice."  
  
" Fine," he surrendered wearily, subcoming to the pain.  
  
Just be careful, okay?"  
  
" Believe it or not, just because I chose to drop my residency and be a bartender  
  
doesn't mean that I'm not a good doctor," she said with a smile as she carefully  
  
unbuttoned his top. Kyle tensed up as she pushed it back with a gasp.  
  
" Kyle. It's infected. We need to get you to a hospital. NOW."  
  
" No we don't."  
  
" Yes we do. When did it happen?"  
  
" This morning."  
  
" You know as much as I do the risk involved. You could have internal injuries as  
  
well as internal bleeding. You probably need surgery. You definately need more than  
  
what I can provide you with in your bedroom."  
  
" Heather, I called you because I thought you'd help me. If you won't, I'll call  
  
someone else."  
  
" Like who? Who would be stupid enough to do this? Lloyd? He couldn't find his  
  
way out of a telephone booth even if you gave him a map. On top of it, the man has the  
  
world's largest mouth I've ever seen. He wouldn't be able to keep this a secret let alone..."  
  
She was cut off as Kyle let out a scream of pain.  
  
" What's wrong?"  
  
" It's the pain of breathing."  
  
" Do you want me to give you something?"  
  
" NO! You've got to promise me something. No matter what happens, under no  
  
circumstances can you or anyone else give me ANY form of pain medication. Do you  
  
promise?"  
  
" At least let me put some fluids in you, then I can fix you as best as I can."  
  
" Thank you," he replied, giving a weak smile.  
  
" For you, anytime." 


	8. Break The Fall

MY DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE SHOWS I MENTION IN THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPHS  
  
"You know the drill, right?"  
  
" Hard spine tingling pinch if I recall."  
  
" Isn't that how that guy said it felt when SUMA Lily inserted his IV?"  
  
" Yeah. I remember," he said.  
  
" So how is Sgt. SUMA?"  
  
" Not too bad actually," Kyle replied.  
  
" All done," Heather announced.  
  
" Can I go to sleep now?  
  
" If you won't let me use pain meds, it may be best if you are asleep. You're head  
  
looks like it's going to need quite a few stitches."  
  
A few hours later Kyle awoke to find Heather sitting at the foot of his bed.  
  
" Hey sleepyhead. How does your head feel?"  
  
" Hurts like a son of a bitch," he said through gritted teeth, struggling to sit up.  
  
" Took 22 stitches to close it."  
  
" How's. My burn?"  
  
" I cleaned it out and put a dressing on it."  
  
" Thanks."  
  
" So what do you want to do? I'd like to avoid you falling into a coma."  
  
" See what's on t.v."  
  
" Okay," she replied flicking it on.  
  
We can watch South Park, The Dating Game, Newlyweds, I Love the 80's, Cosby,  
  
CSI reruns, Trading Spaces, Toughman Finals, Signs, Shrek, Mystic River, Mona Lisa  
  
Smile, Charlie's Angels, Weekend at Bernie's, Caddyshack, The Ring, or Spaceballs."  
  
" Definately Spaceballs," he replied with a cough.  
  
" Such a guy," she replied as she changed the channel.  
  
Half way through the movie, Kyle found that his stomach was growling.  
  
" Are you hungry?"  
  
" Yeah."  
  
" Do you want me to order in?"  
  
" Can you call O'Reilly's? Chicken Tortilla soup sounds pretty good."  
  
" Are you going to be able to keep it down?"  
  
" The hole in my chest has not affected my appitite."  
  
" Men," she muttered as she walked to the livingroom.  
  
" They'll be here in ten minutes," she announced.  
  
Can I get you anything?"  
  
" Could you help me move out to the couch? I need a change of scenery."  
  
" Wait here," she instructed.  
  
" Like I could go anywhere if I needed to," Kyle said with a laugh which was  
  
immediately followed by a grimace of pain.  
  
Remind me in the future NOT to laugh."  
  
A few moments later, Heather walked into the bedroom.  
  
" Are you ready?"  
  
" I think so," he said, slowly pushing the blankets off.  
  
" Can you sit up by yourself?"  
  
" I'm not sure," he replied as he shakingly pushed himself up on his elbows.  
  
Taking a few deep breaths, Kyle brought his body to a sitting position on the end of the  
  
bed.  
  
" Do you need help walking?"  
  
" Let me try," he insisted. Carefully he stood and was immediately greeted with  
  
extreme pain, dizziness, and nausea all rolled into one.  
  
" Help," he uttered as his knees gave out, causing him to fall. Relief washed over  
  
him as Heather's arms encircled his waist, breaking the fall.  
  
" Lean on me," she told him as she placed her arm around his neck.  
  
You better be able to make it out there on your own. There's no way in hell I'm  
  
carrying you."  
  
" Thanks," he simply said, his mind more focused on putting one foot infront of  
  
the other.  
  
" You know, when this is all said and done with, you're going to be owing me  
  
some major favors."  
  
" That's. What. You. Think."  
  
" Did someone just offer to walk the rest of the way by himself?"  
  
" Okay, okay," he said as they reached the couch. Kyle collapsed onto the mound  
  
of pillows. His tired body was covered in sweat. His lungs ached and gasped for air.  
  
" Are you okay?"  
  
" Just a little tired. I never knew it could take so much energy to walk such a short  
  
distance," Kyle replied as a knock sounded on his door.  
  
" O'Reilly's!"  
  
" Soup's here," she announced as she went to the door and paid the delivery man.  
  
" How exactly am I going to eat lating down?"  
  
" I'm all ready way ahead of you," Heather stated as she carried in a tray and a  
  
bright pink bowl.  
  
" Ariadne's Sip-EZ bowl."  
  
" Who knew bowls had straws?"  
  
" Donna I guess." With that, Heather placed the tray on his lap and put a full bowl  
  
of soup on top of it.  
  
" Bon Appetite!"  
  
[AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a lighter chapter so to speak. Don't worry, next chapter will have some Lily in it.] 


	9. My Immortal

MY DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE SHOWS I MENTION IN THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPHS  
  
" So what's next? The Match Game, BET VJ Beats, Chinese Sumo Mud  
  
Wrestling, Jackass, Rockzilla, or Pop Up Videos. The seven o'clock movies are: Bounce,  
  
Bourne Identity, Phone Booth, Meet The Parents, Jeepers Creepers 2, Grease, Ocean's 11,  
  
Just Married, or The Rocky Horror Picture Show."  
  
" Definately Rocky."  
  
" Do you want some popcorn? I've gotta make some if we're watching Rocky."  
  
" No, I'm stuffed," he lied. In all actuality, the thought of food nauseated him. Ever since  
  
dinner he hadn't felt great. He kept his feelings to himself though. Heather didn't need to have  
  
anymore to worry about. Besides, it was probably nothing.  
  
Just as soon as the opening notes for the Timewarp started, a knock sounded.  
  
" Expecting anybody?"  
  
" Check the peephole," Kyle instructed. Heather did and gasped under her breath.  
  
" Who is it?" he hissed.  
  
" SUMA!"  
  
" Lily's here? Why would she..... ohmigod."  
  
" What?"  
  
" We're supposed to be going to dinner."  
  
" What?!?!" Heather whispered in shock as the knocking continued.  
  
" Kyle, are you there?"  
  
" What do I do?" he asked softly. She shrugged her shoulders.  
  
" Kyle?"  
  
" Lily."  
  
" That's my name. Are you ready to go?"  
  
" I can't," he replied hoarsely.  
  
I think I'm cough cough coming down with cough cough something."  
  
" Temperature?"  
  
" Uh... 99.8."  
  
" You've probably got that bug that's going around. I'll take a raincheck on dinner,  
  
okay?"  
  
" Sounds cough good."  
  
" Do you need anything?"  
  
" No."  
  
" I'll call you later to see how you are."  
  
" Thanks."  
  
" Feel better."  
  
" I'll try."  
  
Heather stood up and looked out the hole as she giggled.  
  
" Feel better!" she mocked in a voice so similar to Lily's it was scary  
  
Lily paused as she walked away from Kyle's apartment door. Something wasn't right.  
  
She knew it wasn't simple paranoia, Something was off. Something with Kyle. His voice.  
  
Something.  
  
'He was fine this afternoon,' she thought.  
  
'No. I'm just paranoid. He's fine,' she decided as she stepped into the elevator.  
  
Although her mind was convinced, Lily felt something tugging on her heart as she rode down to  
  
the parkinglot. What was happening?  
  
_'I'm so tired of being here__  
Suppressed by all my childish fears  
And if you have to leave  
I wish that you would just leave  
'Cause your presence still lingers here  
And it won't leave me alone  
These wounds won't seem to heal  
This pain is just too real  
There's just too much that time cannot erase  
__  
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears  
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears  
I held your hand through all of these years  
But you still have all of me _

_Evanescence My Immortal_


	10. Name

MY DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE SHOWS I MENTION IN THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPHS OR JA  
  
" Do you just want to stay here and sleep?" Heather asked as she walked into the  
  
livingroom wearing a page of his lounge pants and a tee shirt.  
  
" I dunno. I'm cold."  
  
" I'll get you a blanket," she replied, grabbing one from near by. As she put it over  
  
him, Heather noticed the warmth of his body. Putting her forehand to his head, she pulled  
  
it back quickly.  
  
" Kyle, you're burning up."  
  
" Yeah, but I'm cold."  
  
" Where's the thermometer?"  
  
" Cabinet. Bathroom." She rushed to the bathroom, retrieved the thermometer, and  
  
rushed back.  
  
" Kyle, look at me and stay still, okay?" Heather ordered as she stuck the device in  
  
his ear and pushed a button.  
  
" BEEP."  
  
" God. 103.2. Why didn't you tell me?"  
  
" I'm cold," Kyle stated.  
  
" I know, but we need to get your fever down." Heather explained.  
  
" But I'm cold."  
  
" You're delerious. You need to take something to bring it down."  
  
" No," he said, shivering.  
  
" One Aspirin?"  
  
" No."  
  
" Please?"  
  
" Uh uh," he muttered as he closed his eyes. Standing up, Heather went back to  
  
the bathroom and got a bottle of rubbing alcohol along with a stack of washcloths. She  
  
got a large mixing bowl from the kitchen. As she approached the couch, Heather could  
  
hear him all ready moaning in his sleep. Dumping some of the alcohol in the bowl, she  
  
saturated the cloths then wrung them out. Gnetly she placed on his sweat covered head.  
  
" Uhh."  
  
" Sssh. It's okay," she reassured as she placed two more on his shoulders and yet  
  
another on his neck.  
  
" All better." She was answered with a moan.  
  
" We're going to get through this. YOU are going to get through this. Do you hear  
  
me? You're a fighter McCarty. Tomorrow you'll wake up and feel better like nothing ever  
  
happened," she explained, hoping for a response. When she received none, Heather went  
  
to the kitchen and turned on the coffee machine. It was going to be a long night.  
  
It was so warm. The heat encased his body, smothering him. His head pounded  
  
viciously, jumbling his thoughts. A deep, sharp white hot pain spread itself evenly below  
  
his neck. He wanted it all to stop. He wanted to tell somebody. He needed help. He  
  
wanted help. He wanted the words to reach his tongue and lips. He struggled, trying to  
  
force them out, but the only word that came out was a name.  
  
" Lily." 


	11. Bliss of Nothingness

MY DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE SHOWS I MENTION IN THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPHS OR JA

* * *

The word made her look up from the newspaper she was reading.

" Lily."

" It's Heather, not Lily."" Where's she?"" Not here."" Where's here?"" Your apartment."" What time is it?"" About two thirty in the morning," she replied as she stuck the themometer back in his ear.

103.3. It was going up. She couldn't do this much longer. He was getting sicker and there

wasn't anything she could do to stop it. Looking up at the kitchen counter, she saw a bottle of

Tylenol sitting where she had put it earlier in hopes of convincing Kyle to take it. If only. If only

there were some way she could get him to take it now.

" Thirsty," he muttered as he coughed. Making up her mind, Heather filled a glass with

water and extracted two pills. It was the right thing to do. In six hours he wouldn't remember

swallowing them. Hell in six hours, what were the odds of him being conscious? Gingerly,

Heather lifted his head, placed the pills on his tongue and helped him swallow the water. He

sighed then fell back asleep.

' Please God. Let it work.'

* * *

She sighed as she sank into the comfortablness of the couch in the lounge. Why did the

critical patients always code early in the morning? Couldn't they wait for her to have a cup of

coffee in her system before their hearts stopped? With a few minutes of downtime, she grabbed

a cup and pulled out her cellphone. She might as well call Kyle to see how he was doing. She

had already removed him from the schedule for the day; from what she knew, the virus he had

lasted for a few days. She dialed his number and waited. After four rings, she received a

message.

" Hi. This is Donna. And Kyle. We're busy and can't answer the phone right now. Leave a

message."

" Hey Kyle. It's Lily."

* * *

Heather bolted awake as she heard the phone ringing. She had fallen asleep." Hey Kyle. It's Lily. It's about eight a.m. I was just calling to see how you were. Call me

back when you're up to it and let me know when I can take you up on that raincheck. Bye."

Sitting up, Heather grabbed the thermometer.

'Please be down, please be down," she muttered to herself as she heard the beep." 104.1 God damnit! Kyle! I didn't want to do this," she said as she reopened the bottle of

Tylenol. Her heart began to pound as she remembered the promise she had made to Kyle

earlier. What she was doing was wrong, no questions asked. At the same time, the pills sitting in

her hand could save his life. It was only a matter of time until his body temperature rose high

enough to 'fry' his brain. Then everything she had done would be useless. He would be dead.

" I can't keep this a secret anymore if it gets any higher. I don't want to betray you Kyle,

but I may have to. I'd rather have you royaly pissed off at me then have you dead. I can't watch

you slip away." With that, she bottled the pills.

" One hour. I'll give your stubborn body one hour. If nothing happens, I'm going for help. I

know you don't want me to, but you're not in a position to be calling the shots right now, you

hear me? Come on Kyle. Answer me."

* * *

" Answer me Kyle." The words floated around in his mind as he tried to connect them.

Why wouldn't she let him sleep? His head hurt so bad. He needed to take a break. He needed

to stop searching for a way out of the doorless room he was in. He needed to rest. Taking a

deep breath, he inhaled and was met with the bliss of nothingness.


	12. Gentle Kiss

MY DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE SHOWS I MENTION IN THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPHS OR JA  
  
She glanced at him laying on the couch. He looked so pitiful; his heavily bandaged chest, the scratches and bruises on his face, and the sweat covering his shivering body.  
" I know you'll never forgive me for doing this Kyle," Heather said as she picked up the phone then stopped. Who would she call? She couldn't call 911. They would ask too many questions and Heather was pretty certain that Kyle's current state would cause them to ask even more. What was she going to do? She couldn't take care of him herself anymore. That was a given. He needed to be in a hospital. He needed surgery. He needed a better doctor than she was. He needed. And that's when it hit her. It was right in front of her the whole time. She jumped up from where she was sitting on the floor. Quickly she pulled back on her clothes from the night before then put on one of Kyle's sweatshirts overtop.  
" Kyle, I'll be right back with somebody who can help. Okay? I'll come right back and then you'll be better. I promise. Don't go anywhere," she ordered, half serious as she opened the door, stopping just long enough to grab his keys.

* * *

Lily was sitting in the ER lounge, catching up on charts when a nurse walked in.  
" Doctor, there's a woman outside that wants to see you. She says she used to work here."  
" This should be interesting," Lily muttered under her breath as she walked out into the ER.  
" Lily."  
" Heather. If you're here to plead for your job.."  
" I need your help. Seriously."  
" With what?"  
" I can't explain it here. I just need you to come with me."  
" Why should I believe you?"  
" Please. Just trust me on this. I'll never ask for anything from you ever again. Just please. Come with me."  
" Okay okay. Leslie, I'll be back in a little bit." With that, she went outside to find Heather waiting in Kyle's car.  
" Why are you driving Kyle's car?"  
" Just get in the car. I'll tell you when we get there," she explained as Lily got in.

* * *

" So why are we here?" Lily asked as they stepped into the elevator.  
" You'll see when we get there," Heather stated as the elevator stopped and they got out. She walked to the door and put in the key.  
" This better be good," said Lily as the door opened, revealing a horrific sight. Kyle was thrashing around on the couch, in midst of a seizure.

* * *

" HEATHER! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO HIM?" she barked as she ran over and grabbed Kyle's head, trying her best to force it down.  
" I don't know. He wouldn't tell me. He called me yesterday and asked me to come over. He made me promise not to say anything to anyone."  
" Were you here last night when I came? Why didn't you tell me then?"  
" He wouldn't let me tell you. He wanted to keep this a secret. I agreed, not knowing it was going to get this bad. But last night he started running a high fever. I kept trying to give him something, but he refused. He got to the point where he was so delerious I managed to give him two Tylenols, but they didn't do anything," Heather said as he continued seizing.  
" Heather, you went through four years of med school. You should have known from the start it was going to turn out badly if he received no formal medical attention."  
" Look. Lily. I assessed the situation as best I knew how. If you would have seen Kyle yesterday, you would have done the exact same thing I did."  
" No, I would have counter acted his stubborn ass and called 911. How high was his fever last time you checked?" she asked, changing the subject.

* * *

" It was 104.1 at eight thirty," she said as Kyle stopped shaking and fell limp in Lily's arms.  
" Heather, go empty the icemaker into Ziplock bags and bring me whatever else you can find that will get his body temp down," she ordered.  
" There's something you need to see," Heather explained as she walked back in, her arms full of icebags, icepacks, and bags of frozen vegetables. Passing off the stack to Lily, Heather knelt and slowly peeled off the large bandage covering his chest. Beside her, Lily turned her face, trying her hardest not to retch at the sight. The burn had now covered itself in a putrid yellow scab, the ends extremely red and tender looking.  
" Goddamit Kyle. What the hell happened to you?" she whispered as she began covering him head to toe in cold packs.  
" Are you going to treat him here?" asked Heather, somewhat shocked at Lily's demeanor.  
" Until I can get his temp down at least a point, he's not going anywhere." Finishing up with the cold packs, Lily sat beside him and began stroking back his damp bangs. Waiting until Heather turned her back, she leaned in, gentily kissing his warm cheek.  
" We're gonna get through this McCarty. You and me together. I'm not going to leave your side until this is all over with." 


	13. Please

MY DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE SHOWS I MENTION IN THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPHS OR JA  
  
" Is he doing any better?" Heather asked as she looked at Lily who just shook her  
  
head in dispare.  
  
" This may seem like a weird time to bring this up, but he was talking about you  
  
last night."  
  
" He was?" a shocked Lily asked.  
  
" He kept saying your name in his sleep." Lily blushed at the thought. Calling her  
  
bluff, Heather said,  
  
" You like him, don't you?"  
  
" I don't know what it is about him," she admitted.  
  
" I knew it," Heather commented.  
  
" It was that obvious?"  
  
" Come on. Pardon my choice of words, but everytime you looked at him, your  
  
eyes were screaming 'I want you.'"  
  
" You're kidding me."  
  
" No. Every single nurse, doctor, and intern had bets on how long it would take  
  
for you two to be found making out or what not in a supply closet."  
  
" How did they know Kyle shared the same feelings?"  
  
" Because, he had the same look in his eyes everytime he saw you. Plus, it was so  
  
damn obvious."  
  
" So he likes me too?" she asked slyly.  
  
" Yes."  
  
" Well that's reassurance."  
  
" So, how long are we going to prolong the inevitable?" Heather asked, gesturing  
  
towards Kyle.  
  
" I was hoping his temperature would go down," she said, "but I guess."  
  
" Do you want to call or should I?"  
  
" I'll do it," Lily whispered as she took Kyle's hand.  
  
Hate me as much as you want Kyle. You'll thank me in the end."

* * *

" Leslie, I need you to page a trauma surgeon to Trauma 3," Lily ordered as she  
  
walked out of Kyle's room. So far, there had been no choice run ins.  
  
" Can't you assess the patient?"  
  
" Do your damn job Leslie and page a surgeon down here NOW!" she said in an  
  
extremely angered tone as she headed back for the room. Heather had disappeared so it  
  
was finally the two of them alone.  
  
" You feel cooler," she absentmindedly mentioned as the door opened and Dylan  
  
Mayfield walked in.  
  
" That was quick," Lily commented.  
  
" What's up? Last I heard you were still a trauma surgeon."  
  
" I'm too deeply involved with this case to keep a level head," she explained.  
  
" How so?"  
  
" It's Kyle."  
  
" What the hell happened to him?" asked Dylan as he walked over to where his  
  
unconscious co-worker lay.  
  
" I don't know. He's in bad shape. Not to mention the abrasions, he's been riding a  
  
104 temp for a few hours now due to an infection."  
  
" An infection?"  
  
" Of this," she said, showing him the large chest wound.  
  
" Geeze."  
  
" It's also extremely probable that the bruises on his torso are caused by some  
  
source of internal bleeding."  
  
" Which is why I'm here," Dylan replied, catching on.  
  
" Correct."  
  
" I can tell you right now that he needs way past due emergency surgery. Are there  
  
any family members to sign consent?" Thinking back to the conversation she and Kyle  
  
had the day before, she replied,  
  
" No."  
  
" Then I'll need a second signiture," he said, handing Lily a stack of papers that  
  
she quickly signed.  
  
" Dylan, do you think he has a chance?"  
  
" It depends how far the infection has spread and the extent of the internal  
  
injuries," Dylan said gravely.  
  
Why don't you come up and observe? It might reassure you."  
  
" I'll be up in a little bit. There's something I have to do first."

* * *

Lily felt awkward as she paused outside the door of the hospital chapel. Her  
  
family had never been regular church goers, just the occasional service here and there.  
  
Walking inside, she headed for a display of candles at the front. She struck a match and  
  
touched the wamr flame to the wick of a candle. Stepping back, Lily sat down with her  
  
back against a pew.  
  
' I haven't done this for awhile, so you'll have to bare with me. I just really need  
  
Kyle to survive this. He might be the answer to my screwed up life. I can't stand the  
  
thought of him not coming through this. I can't imagine coming to work and not seeing  
  
him. I don't want to miss that sort of twinkle in his eye when he smiles. I don't want to  
  
lose his sense of humor. It would be too much to dangle this possibility in front of me and  
  
then take it away. I can't lose him." With that, she fell silent and fixed her stare on the  
  
candle whose flame was stretching high and tall.  
  
'Please don't take him,' she silently pleaded. 'Please.' After a few more minutes,  
  
Lily stood and headed for the OR. He needed her now.

_'But honey true love has no pride  
So i can say without a moments hesitation  
Before i'll let you say goodbye  
  
I'll do anything if it'll bring our hearts together  
I'll stand and fight or get down on my knees  
If we can fix what's wrong and just go on in love forever  
Baby i'll be beggin' please  
  
Boy you know your love's my one true weakness  
When it comes to you i'm helpless'_

_The Kinleys-Please_


	14. Tremble

MY DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE SHOWS I MENTION IN THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPHS OR JA  
  
" So?" Lily asked impatiently as Dylan walked out from the operating room.  
  
" How is he?"  
  
" In addition to losing his spleen, there were multiple spots of bleeding which we  
  
stopped. He has three broken ribs."  
  
" And?"  
  
" We won't know until he wakes up."  
  
" How's his fever?"  
  
" 102.7"  
  
" At least it's down."  
  
" The next 72 hours are going to be extremely critical to his survival."  
  
" I know. Is he out of recovery?"  
  
" We moved him directly to I.C.U. Hopefully he'll awaken from the anesthesia  
  
soon. We'll find out then where to go from there."  
  
" What if he doesn't wake up?"  
  
" Lily, I'm not going to go there. He will wake up. Surgery went very well. There's  
  
no reason not to believe that he won't make a full recovery. The prognosis is good. He's  
  
very lucky that you brought him in when you did."  
  
" What room?"  
  
" I.C.U. 3. I'll cover the rest of your day."  
  
" Thanks Dyl. I owe you."  
  
" Page me when he wakes up."  
  
" Will do," she replied as she headed for the lounge to change back into her  
  
regular clothes.

* * *

Lily felt slightly refreshed as she headed for the I.C.U. She had exchanged her  
  
scrubs for a pair of jeans, a red t-shirt, and sandals. She felt somewhat anxious as his  
  
room came into view. Stepping in, she saw him lying flat on a bed, hooked up to various  
  
IV's and machines. As she moved closer, she could see his worn bruised face. Pulling the  
  
small plastic chair to the side of his bed, Lily sat down and took his hand.  
  
" Hey there. Dylan says you did great. You'll be up and back to your stubborn self  
  
in no time. Sure, you're going to be sore as hell, but at least you'll be alive," she said, half  
  
laughing.  
  
" I was so scared when I walked into your apartment and saw you having that  
  
seizure. I thought right then and there I had lost you without being able to tell you the  
  
truth. I don't know what I would do if I lost you without being able to tell you how I really  
  
feel. The truth is Kyle, I have feelings for you. Not as a friend, but something more. I've  
  
liked you ever since the day you walked into that interview. I don't know why it's never  
  
hit me until now. Maybe it's the thought of losing you. I don't know. I just know that I  
  
love you Kyle. I love you and I don't wanna lose you," she choked out as she began  
  
crying.

* * *

He heard the words coming out of her mouth. He heard her crying. He felt the  
  
tears gather on his hand that she held. He wanted so badly to tell her it was gonig to be  
  
okay. Concentrating as hard as possible, Kyle gathered every single possible ounce of  
  
strength he had left in his body. Slowly he opened his eyes and blinked hard as they met  
  
the light. Turning his head, Kyle saw her head bowed, her hands wrapped around his,  
  
touching her forehead. Her closed eyes shed tears over and over as her face shook from  
  
the racking sobs. Gently he eased his hand to her cheek and brushed away the tears.

* * *

Lily jerked her opened her eyes quickly as she felt something brushing her cheek.  
  
Looking up she saw Kyle looking at her. This caused her to only cry more.  
  
" You're. You're awake." She paused as he smiled.  
  
" Where am I?" he asked, his voice sounding dry and raw.  
  
" St. Mike's. Please don't be mad."  
  
" Where's Heather?"  
  
" I don't know. I haven't seen her since I brought you in."  
  
" You brought me in? How did?" he said, stopping as a coughing fit took over  
  
him.  
  
" Ssh. Heather came and got me this morning. She didn't want to call 911 because  
  
she knew they'd ask questions."  
  
" So you brought me here? I told her no. Have they given me anything? Any form  
  
of pain killers?" he asked agitatedly.  
  
" Calm down. Please. I red flagged your chart as soon you came in. I know how  
  
important it is to you that you stay clean under any circumstances."  
  
" Thanks," Kyle answered.  
  
" Why don't you rest for awhile? I'm going to go find Dylan to let him know you're  
  
awake. I'll get you something to drink while I'm at it," she decided.

* * *

" I heard everything you said earlier," he said randomly as he pulled her to his face  
  
level. He kissed her now trembling lips then released her. Blushing, Lily exited, not  
  
uttering a word, just simply smiling. 


	15. Spit Fire

MY DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE SHOWS I MENTION IN THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPHS OR JA

* * *

" I told you so," Dylan said as he looked from a conscious Kyle to Lily.  
  
" What?" asked a clueless Kyle.  
  
" Lily thought you were going to die."  
  
" I did not!" she insisted  
  
" Thanks alot!" he said, his voice still scratchy.  
  
" I'll let you two duke this out alone. I don't want to get caught up in the middle of  
  
things," Dylan declared as he exited.

* * *

" So you thought I was going to die?" he asked.  
  
" No. I was just worried that the anesthesia mixed with the infection would put a  
  
strain on your body," she said as he began coughing. She produced a cup of ice chips and  
  
eased a spoonful into his mouth.  
  
" Thanks," he muttered.  
  
" No problem."  
  
" How am I?"  
  
" You have a few broken ribs and had some pretty bad internal bleeding. Dylan  
  
got that under control, but you lost your spleen in the process."  
  
" Better that then me."  
  
" Yea. You'll be more prone to viruses and infections, but the good news is your  
  
current infection seems to be under control for now. Your temperature is down to 102.  
  
Hopefully the antibiotics will nip it," she told him as she gave him another spoonful.  
  
" At least I don't feel like I'm being roasted over a spit fire anymore," he joked.  
  
She laughed then became more serious.  
  
" I know this may not be the best time to discuss this, but I need to know how this  
  
happened. Did Josh do this to you?" Lily watched as his body tensed up at the mention of  
  
Josh's name.  
  
" What happened?"

* * *

" I was getting ready to go into my apartment. This man came screaming towards  
  
me. He told me his friend was hurt in the alley. So I followed him."  
  
" What happened then?"  
  
" He must have knocked me out. I woke up in some windowless room lit by a  
  
single lightbulb with Damon."  
  
" The guy that gave you the lethal dose?"  
  
" Yeah. Josh still has the guy wrapped. Anyway, Josh came after awhile and  
  
Damon left. The only thing I remember after that is seeing Josh's evil, sly grin. The next  
  
thing I knew, the room exploded into a fiery rage and I was knocked unconscious again. I  
  
remember waking up on my doorstep, seeing this bright light, thinking I was dead. I don't  
  
think I've ever felt or imagined feeling pain like I did."  
  
" Was it a bomb?" questioned Lily.  
  
" I don't know. I just know it hurt like hell."  
  
" Are you still in pain?"  
  
" As long as I'm not required to move, I'm great."  
  
" I'll remember that."  
  
" So what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be working?"  
  
" Dylan's covering for me."  
  
" No, I mean here. In my hospital room. By my bedside."  
  
" I thought you said you heard every word what I said earlier."  
  
" I did. I just want to hear you say it again."  
  
" Which part?"  
  
" The last part."  
  
" I don't want to lose you?" she teased.  
  
" The part right before that."  
  
" Oh. You mean, I love you?"  
  
" That's the one," he replied with a weak smile.  
  
" I love you," she repeated.  
  
" I love you too," he whispered before falling asleep. 


	16. Burrito Goat

MY DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE SHOWS I MENTION IN THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPHS OR JA

* * *

Kyle awoke to find that he had slept through the day and into the night. The sleep  
  
left him feeling slightly better, more aware. A noise to his left caused him to turn his  
  
head. Lily stood beside his bed, fiddling with his IVs.  
  
" Hey."  
  
" Did I wake you up? You were on empty," she said as she took the empty bags  
  
and disposed of them.  
  
" Nah. I woke up on my own."  
  
" It was about time," she joked. After pulling off her gloves, she took her seat by  
  
him.  
  
" How long was I out?"  
  
" Almost eight hours."  
  
" What time is it now?" he asked.  
  
" 8:30. Are you hungry?"  
  
" Yeah, believe it or not."  
  
" What do you want?"" Two Big Macs with everything on them and extra pickle?" he asked hopefully.  
  
" Try again," she said, giving him a stern look.  
  
" One Big Mac with everything on it?"  
  
" You are such a guy."  
  
" Thanks for pointing out the obvious."  
  
" Let me lay out your options. You can either have Nancy's 'jello' or some soup,"  
  
Lily said, giving the name of the partial senile cook in the caferteria.  
  
" Oh god. I'll take the soup."  
  
" I thought so."  
  
" Have you ever tasted her 'jello'?"  
  
" I know better. Besides, who would?"  
  
" She cornered me once and practically forced it down my throat. I swear to God.  
  
It crunched."  
  
" I'm going to go get your soup before I get nauseated," she announced as she  
  
stood up and left.

* * *

Soon after Lily left, Kyle picked up the remote control that was beside his bed.  
  
Turning on the t.v., he began flipping through the channels and soon found a Punk'd  
  
marathon. Settling on that, he replaced the remote and raised his bed so he wasn't flat on  
  
his back.  
  
He was half way through an episode when Lily walked back in carrying a red  
  
container and a small white take out box, two cans of Sprite balance on top of it.  
  
" A cup of Chicken Noodle for you," she said, handing it to him.  
  
" What do you get?" he asked sarcastically.  
  
" Somebody's cold burritos from Taco Bell."  
  
" I'll trade you."  
  
" I'm sure you would," Lily stated as she sat down and took the remote, changing  
  
the channel.  
  
" Hey! I was watching that."  
  
" If I'm staying with you, we're going to watch something half decent."  
  
" Who says you're staying with me?"  
  
" I'm on call tonight and the 6-6 shift tomorrow. It would be a lot more quiet than  
  
sleeping in the on-call room or more comfortable than my box of an office."  
  
" I'll let you willingly...... on one condition."  
  
" I'm afraid to ask."  
  
" Give me a bite of your burrito."  
  
" Fine," she said knowing that he wouldn't give up.  
  
If you get sick and vomit all over the place, I'm not cleaning it up. Understand?"  
  
He knodded. Reluctantly she handed over the burrito. Kyle immediately bit into it then  
  
handed it back.  
  
" Geeze! I said you could have a bite, not half of the burrito. You take some big  
  
bites."  
  
" I'm a man," he replied as a comedy came on the screen. They watched and ate in  
  
silence as they watched the humor develop.

* * *

They had just begun watching a movie when Lily let out a yawn.  
  
" Tired?"  
  
" A little."  
  
" Come here," he said, patting the bed.  
  
" Are you sure?"  
  
" Yea. Just remember not to roll over onto my chest in the middle of the night or I  
  
will have to kill you," Kyle replied. Slowly he scooted over on the bed, making room for  
  
her. He winced at the sudden movement, but quickly pushed the pain away. Lily stood  
  
and sat down on the bed, pushing her sandals off. She allowed Kyle to wrap his arm  
  
around her shoulders as she streched out beside him.  
  
" Good night," she whispered, placing her head upon his shoulder.  
  
" Good night," he whispered back, gently placing a kiss on her cheek.  
  
" Good night."

* * *


	17. Who She Ate For Breakfast

MY DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE SHOWS I MENTION IN THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPHS OR JA

* * *

Kyle awoke the next morning to a loud clanking noise outside his room. Glancing  
  
at the wall clock, he saw that it was seven in the morning.  
  
'Ah. Vitals time,' he said to himself. The joy of being on the other side of the  
  
stethescope. Racking his still foggy brain, Kyle tried to remember who did ICU vitals. It  
  
wasn't Zach Taylor or Rick Swanson. Gretchen Reilly worked on the Pediatrics ward. Oh  
  
god. That left Sally Marcum better known to the staff as 'Rambo.' The woman was the  
  
size of a giant. She stood six and a half feet tall and weighed two hundred and forty six  
  
pounds. During their down time at night, the residents and other staff in the ER often  
  
played 'Starving Sally' in which they would try to guess what or who she ate for breakfast.  
  
Looking up, Kyle heard the footsteps stop outside his room. The doorknob shook as it  
  
twisted. He let out a sigh of relief as it opened, revealing Lily.  
  
" What are you doing here this early?"  
  
" I had Dylan transfer you to my caseload. My morning is jam packed until after  
  
one so I figured I'd try to squeeze in my rounds before breakfast."  
  
"God, I thought you were going to be Rambo."  
  
" Do you think I would do that to you?"  
  
" You were going to make me eat Nancy's Jello last night," he commented.  
  
" True. So how do you feel?" she asked as she took his wrist.  
  
" Like I've run over by a crew of semi-trucks."  
  
" Sore?"  
  
" Just a little."  
  
" How's the pain on a 1-10 scale?"  
  
" 7.5," he explained as she wrapped a blood pressure cuff around his arm.  
  
" Better than yesterday?"  
  
" Yeah. I guess so."  
  
" Well your pressure's good and your temp's down to 100.8."  
  
" Maybe you're my lucky charm."  
  
" Is that so?" she said as she listened to his heart and lungs.  
  
Your breathing is a little labored, but with the chest infection, that's to be  
  
expected."  
  
" You know, I could get used to this," Kyle stated, changing the subject.  
  
" Get used to what?" Lily asked.  
  
" Being sick and having you as my doctor."  
  
" Is that so?"  
  
" You know what would make this even better?" he challenged.  
  
" I'm afraid to ask, but what?"  
  
" If you were wearing one of those skimpy little white dresses," said Kyle with a  
  
smirk.  
  
" In your dreams," she said, half tempted to smack him.  
  
Look, I've got to go if I want to get this all done before breakfast. I should have  
  
saved you for last," Lily said with a laugh as she bent down and kissed him.  
  
" See you later," he said as he watched her leave his room. Now all alone, he  
  
slowly leaned over and picked up the phone. He needed to call Amy and everyone before  
  
they started to worry. Kyle didn't want them prying into this.

* * *

" Hello?"  
  
" Hey Aunt Max."  
  
" Kyle, where have you been? I tried calling your place last night to see if you  
  
wanted to come over to dinner, but no one answered."  
  
" Sorry. I guess I forgot to mention I was working a triple shift."  
  
" When did it start?"  
  
" Last night at 7pm. I work until Thursday night."  
  
" So basically you'll work until Thursday night then pass out in bed like last time  
  
and sleep for two days straight?"  
  
" Pretty much. I just wanted to call so you wouldn't worry."  
  
" Thank you Kyle. Hope it's not too stressful."  
  
" You and me both," he said as he hung up, feeling extremely guilty. He felt awful  
  
about lying to his aunt like that, but they definately did NOT need to know about him  
  
being in an explosion that was rigged by his ex-dealer. As much as he wanted to call Amy  
  
to tell her the truth and have her get Josh thrown away, he couldn't. Kyle knew Amy  
  
would believe his story, but other than that, he had no proof. With a sigh he turned on the  
  
T.V. and changed the channel to the Game Show Network. There was nothing like  
  
watching 'The Dating Game' to make a person feel better. 


	18. Diving Headfirst

MY DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE SHOWS I MENTION IN THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPHS OR JA.

* * *

Kyle glanced at the clock, feeling extremely bored. After watching The Dating  
  
Game, he watched two hours of Family Feud followed by an episode of South Park,  
  
which was followed by I Love The 80's: 1986, and an episode of The Price Is Right. By  
  
the end of the last showcase, Kyle was sick of watching t.v. Besides it was time for the  
  
soap operas to start. Scents of food suddenly drifted into his room as the food cart  
  
stopped by his door.  
  
" Hey there sweetie," chimed an old, slightly chubby African American woman  
  
who worked in the cafeteria.  
  
" Hey Millie. How are you doing?"  
  
" Pretty good darling. How are you feeling?"  
  
" Better than I did yesterday."  
  
" That's good, that's good. Are you hungry?"  
  
" What's under the cover?"  
  
" Mashed Potatoes and Chicken Noodle soup."  
  
" I'm not too hungry right now."  
  
" No problem sugar. You just call ol' Millie when you are and I'll bring you  
  
something up. Okay?"  
  
" Thanks Millie," he said as the woman left his room

* * *

'Great. Back where I started. TV sucks right now. What am I going to do now?' he  
  
thought to himself. He let his eyes wander around the room, looking for something to  
  
entertain himself. Then he saw it. The wheelchair. Sitting empty in the corner. If he could  
  
just make it to the wheelchair, he could get out of his shoebox sized room. Anything was  
  
better than counting ceiling tiles. Kyle sat up in bed rather quickly and soon regretted it.  
  
The pain that greeted him was nothing like what he had experienced earlier. A thousand  
  
knives stabbed at every point of his body. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the blankets  
  
off of his legs. Concentrating with all of his might, Kyle pulled himself to a sitting  
  
position on the edge of the bed. He just had to make it to the corner. Ten steps if not less.  
  
Counting to three, Kyle stood on his shaky legs. One step. Two steps. Three steps. Four  
  
steps. Then it hit him. The dizziness. The pain. The nausea. Looking up, he saw that the  
  
wheelchair seemed further away than he had realized. He wasn't going to make it to the  
  
chair. Frantically his eyes quickly scanned the area around him, looking for something he  
  
could hold onto to brace himself. His head felt heavy. Everything around him started to  
  
become fuzzy. And then he was falling.

* * *

Kyle knew he was going to hit the floor hard, so it surprised him when a pair of arms

appeared out of nowhere and circled themselves around his waist.  
  
" And where do you think you're going?"  
  
" For a walk?" he replied sheepishly as he glanced up at Lily.  
  
" Walk? Looks more like a fall," she replied, helping him stand.  
  
If I hadn't caught you when I did, you would have busted your head open."  
  
" But you would have enjoyed every minute of stitching it up," Kyle pointed out  
  
as he slipped back in bed.  
  
" True," Lily said, pulling the covers over his legs and waist.  
  
So are we in agreement here?"  
  
" With?"  
  
" No more little strolls when no one is here. On top of everything else, you just  
  
had major surgery yesterday and you still have a fever. Understand?"  
  
" Yes ma'me," Kyle replied, pretending to be angered.  
  
" You know, you're cute when you're angry."  
  
" Is that so?" he asked, giving her a kiss.  
  
" Maybe."  
  
" Should I provoke you even more to find out?" challenged Kyle.

* * *

" It IS my break," she hinted. "but I have a stack of charts a mile high with my  
  
name on them waiting in the lounge."  
  
" You'd be the cruelest person if you left me here by myself to do nothing but  
  
count ceiling tiles."  
  
" You're that bored?"  
  
" Pretty damn close. I watched two straight hours of Family Feud. I hate being  
  
cooped up like this."  
  
" They always said doctors make the worst patients."  
  
" It's worse when they're patients in their own hospitals. I see this place too damn  
  
much when I work."  
  
" You know you love it," she replied. "besides, I'm here." With that, she gave him  
  
a kiss.  
  
" That's the best part," he said as his stomach growled loudly.  
  
" Have you eaten?"  
  
" Millie came in about twenty minutes before you did. I wasn't hungry."  
  
" Nice try. You need to eat to build up your strength."  
  
" Mashed Potatoes and Chicken Noodle soup didn't sound very appetizing."  
  
" What do you want?" she asked, then quickly added, "within reason."  
  
" Really?" he replied back, catious at her readiness.  
  
" Take it easy and make it cheap."  
  
" A chocolate milkshake?" Kyle requested hesitantly, quite sure that she'd turn  
  
down the idea.  
  
" Well that's better than you eating nothing."  
  
" You're kidding me. Lily, you're actually agreeing with something I've said," he  
  
joked.  
  
" Hey. I'm not that bad. Plus, I'm craving a banana split."  
  
" Where are you going to get a banana split?" inquired Kyle.  
  
" You're not the only one that Millie likes," Lily pointed out as she picked up the  
  
phone beside the bed. Kyle grabbed her wrist quickly, causing her to hang up.  
  
" What?"  
  
" Look. You and I both know how much Millie loves to talk and aide the hospital  
  
grapevine. If she delivers both the milkshake and banana split to my room and sees that  
  
you're here, she'll start to talk."  
  
" And?"  
  
" I want to know if you're okay with that. With her telling everyone. About us."  
  
" Us," she whispered, letting the word settle in her mind. Her and Kyle. Together.  
  
A couple. Pondering it for a few minutes, she smiled, liking the idea.  
  
" Let her talk all she wants to," Lily replied as she picked back up the phone and  
  
dialed a number.


	19. Ice Cream Headaches

MY DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE SHOWS I MENTION IN THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPHS OR JA. I DO HOWEVER OWN THE FOLLOWING: THE COFFEE LADY, JOSHUA CANTRALL, DAMON WALTERS, DYLAN MAYFIELD, THE BURRITO GOAT, ZACH TAYLOR, RICK SWANSON, GRETCHEN REILLY, OR RAMBO AKA SALLY MARCUM

* * *

" I have never seen a banana split this big," Lily commented as she sat the dish on

Kyle's bedside table and sat beside him on the bed.

" According to Millie, you need to put some 'meat on those bones.'"

" You have to love her though."

" I do. Any woman that gives me icecream and chocolate is good in my book."

" Ah. I see. So I guess it's true when they say the way to a man's heart is food."

" Not neccesarily," replied Kyle as he took a drink of his milkshake.

" Is that so? So what is the way to your heart?"

" It's a secret."

" A secret?"

" You'll have to find out for yourself," he replied as Lily let out a yelp.

What? Are you okay?"

" Ice cream headache," she moaned.

" Put your tongue to the roof of your mouth," Kyle instructed.

" Itsh not working."

" Hmmmm," he said, laughing as Lily's face twisted into odd proportions.

Does this help?" asked Kyle as he kissed her cold lips.

" Mmmm. I don't know."

" How about now?" he asked as he kissed her again.

" Much better," she replied as she glanced up at Kyle.

" That's good," said Kyle as a smile formed on her lips.

What?"

" You have whipped cream. Here." She stuck out her finger and wiped off the bit

of whipped cream on Kyle's lip.

" Thanks," he replied as he went back to his milkshake.

" Not to pry into your business, but I was wondering if you could clear something

up for me."

" I'll try."

" Why doesn't your family know about how you almost died?"

* * *

Kyle sighed as he put his cup down on a table.

" Things got extremely 'hairy' between my dad and aunt. For over a decade, the

Gray's and the McCarty's were a mild version of the Hatfields and the McCoys. My aunt

Max did everything in her power to forbid her children to speak to Richard, my father,

myself, my sister, and my mother. The funny thing was, I was the black sheep through all

of this. I rebeled. I finally snapped out of my fictious world and was thrust into the

delusion called life. In my parents eyes, I did everything short of selling my soul to the

devil. I became an alcholic and later slipped into the downward spiral of drugs."

" When did you start drinking?"

" I was fifteen or so. That's when I was 'hooked up' with my first fake I.D. By the

time I hit college I was getting stoned on a regular basis."

" How did you manage to work as a stoned pre med student for four years? More

importantly, how did you wind up at John's Hopkins?"

* * *

" My father likes to believe he bought my way into the program so I wouldn't

'shame' the McCarty name. Believe it or not, I was actually an intellegent stoner."

" And then things started to unravel."

" I met Josh and Damon at some dive of a bar. Things started to escalate and then

bam. I was in the dean's office, being informed that until I could become clean, I was no

longer allowed to continue my residency. My mother and father refused to admit that I

had a problem and they still do. They think all the twelve steps, rehab and AA is a bunch

of crockery. My own mother believes that they brainwashed me into believing I had a

problem. So after I got out of rehab, I came to Hartford. It took a bit of convincing my

cousins that I wasn't the sweet talking con I used to be, but after awhile they accepted me

for who I was, unlike my parents. They and my aunt have supported me more me in three

years than my parents have in my lifetime."

* * *

" That's awful about your parents and sister."

" Not really. They're not much of a family when you consider it."

" So why do you not want them to know about this all?"

" I don't want to drag them into this. I don't want their pity."

" You know, they obviously care about you."

" I just don't want this part of my life to be part of theirs. I don't even want it to be

part of mine, but I can't help that right now."

" Your cousin is a judge, right? She's smart. She'll figure this out. You can only

stay gone for so long before they start asking questions."

" That's where you're wrong. If I 'disappear' into thin air with no contact, they'll

just brush it off and assume I'm abandoning them like I used to. Look, Lily. I'm doing

what is best for both myself and them at the moment. Can you understand that?"

" Yeah. I just think that sooner or later someone is going to catch onto all of this."

" If they do, they do," Kyle replied as he took a drink. His throat felt sore and raw

from all the talking.

" I should get back to work and let you rest. I've been here for almost an hour."

" How generous of you," Kyle replied.

Will you come back at six when you're done with work?"

" If my hot date cancels on me, I'll be here," Lily said with a laugh as they

exchanged a kiss. She picked up her empty ice cream dish and exited. As soon as she was

out of viewpoint, Kyle collapsed against his pillow and fell into a deep sleep.

* * *


	20. Scrambled Eggs in My Hollow Leg

* * *

MY DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE SHOWS I MENTION IN THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPHS OR JA. I DO HOWEVER OWN THE FOLLOWING: THE COFFEE LADY, JOSHUA CANTRALL, DAMON WALTERS, DYLAN MAYFIELD, THE BURRITO GOAT, ZACH TAYLOR, RICK SWANSON, GRETCHEN REILLY, OR RAMBO AKA SALLY MARCUM

* * *

" I didn't think you were ever going to wake up," Lily commented as Kyle stirred

and opened his eyes.

" What time is it?" he asked as he stretched his arms out.

" Eight o'clock."

" Why didn't you wake me up for dinner? That milkshake was good, but I'm

starving."

" Kyle, I DID try to wake you up for dinner, but you just yawned and fell back

asleep. You almost missed breakfast too. Millie hasn't been here yet."

" Breakfast....what? I thought you said it was eight o'clock."

" I did."

" Then how is it time for...."

" You slept for over twelve hours.....it's eight o'clock in the morning."

" You're kidding me. I slept for another twelve hours? I hate this!" he stated as he

used his arms to push himself up to a sitting position. Kyle could feel his stomach

muscles protesting to the sudden movement, but ignored the dull pain.

" Think of it this way. The more you sleep, the faster your body heals. The faster

your body heals, the sooner you get out of this hell hole."

" I like the way you think."

" Well then, you won't mind if I make a suggestion, will you?"

" I'll let you know after I hear this so called suggestion."

" I was thinking. If you're up to it, we could go down and get some breakfast."

* * *

" Are you kidding me? I would love to get out of this box."

" I figured you'd say that. I told Millie to skip your room," Lily replied as she

brought the wheelchair over from the corner.

" I do have two very capable legs," Kyle insisted as he pushed back the covers.

" Mind you, those two so called capable legs failed you yesterday."

" That was yesterday," he answered as he detached the wires from the EKG

machine that led to the eletrodes on his chest.

" This is today," she shot back, transfering his IV's to a different pole.

" You don't say," said Kyle as he took a deep breath, sat up, and swung his legs

over the side of the bed.

" Do you want any help?"

" Nope. Just make sure you try to catch me if I take another dive headfirst."

" I'll try to."

" You better try." With that, Kyle pushed himself up into a standing position.

After pausing for a few seconds, he turned around and allowed himself to fall into the

wheelchair.

" Lead the way James."

" Do you think I'm your chauffuer or something?" Lily asked as they made their

way out into the hallway.

" Or something," he replied as he reached out and pushed the down button.

" So how exactly did you wind up in a t-shirt and lounge pants?" she questioned.

" I paid an orderly to get them out of my locker. Why? Did you think I looked

sexy in that gown thing?"

" Yes. I mean no. I mean," she stammered, her cheeks turning a deep shade of red.

" Are you blushing?" Kyle asked. Lily said nothing and was greatful when the

elevator doors opened. She pushed him inside then punched the '2' button. The short ride

was riden in silence. As the doors creaked open though and they exited, so did the

awkwardness.

* * *

" I don't think I've ever been as hungry as I am now," Kyle spoke up.

" What is it with men? They're always hungry, eating, or talking about what they

ate."

" The same can be said with women and shopping," he concluded as they entered

the somewhat empty cafeteria.

" Oh. You are so going to get it for that," Lily announced as she started to raise

her hand.

" Tsk tsk. I'm 'injured', remember? I'm weak and...."

" And nothing," she replied with a laugh as she smacked him playfully across the

shoulder.

" Ouch!"

" Yeah right. So what do you want to eat? Remember, my rule still stands. If you

vomit, I will not feel any sympathy for you or clean it up."

" Three pancakes, a few sausage links, a couple of pieces of bacon, and a little bit

of eggs. Anything else you feel like adding is welcomed."

" Where the heck do you put it all?" questioned Lily.

" My hollow leg."

" Silly me. I completely forgot about that," she said with a smile as she walked

towards the kitchen.

* * *

" That was quick," Kyle replied as he heard a set of footsteps stop behind him.

" K?"

" Damon?!" he said in shock as the short black haired man sat down beside him,

sporting a split open lip.

What the hell happened to your face?"

" Josh. I told him I didn't want any more of the 'business' and he punched me. The

thing hurts like a son of a gun."

" It doesn't look deep to me. Be careful with the chin piercing though. It's pretty

close to the gash. If it gets infected, your face is going to feel like it's on fire."

" Sounds like fun," Damon replied with a laugh of sarcasm.

So are you okay?"

In addition to the infected burn on my chest, I lost my spleen, had some bad

internal bleeding and I have three broken ribs that make it painful to move. Besides that.."

" Sorry man. I didn't think Josh was serious when he said he was going to rig the

place with a bomb."

" What's done is done," Kyle stated.

" So, are you still serious about helping me get into a detox/rehab program?"

" If you're still interested."

" I am. I want to kick this to the curb," Damon replied as Lily approached them,

carrying a tray full of steaming food.

* * *

" So who's this?" she asked as she sat down.

" Lily, this is Damon. Damon, Lily."

" Ah. You're the one that tried to kill him."

" Yeah. That would have been me. Look, K. I'll be back later. I need to go have a

smoke. These are the only things that keep me from climbing up a wall," Damon said,

acknowledging the pack of cigarettes in his coat pocket.

" See you," said Kyle as Damon disappeared out a door.

" So what was he doing here?"

" He wants to get clean. I told him I'd help him get into a detox program and back

on his feet."

" That's good," she replied as she pushed a full plate across the table.

" This looks so good. You don't know how much I love you right now."

" See, I told you the way to a man's heart is food."

" No, seriously. I love you," he uttered, completely out of the blue. Lily was

shocked at the words that he had just spoken. Not sure how to reply, she glanced down at

her plate. All of a sudden, she looked up and locked eyes with him.

" I love you too."


	21. Escape

" As much as I don't want to, I've got to get downstairs and get to work," Lily

stated as they re-entered Kyle's room.

" Do you have to?" he asked, trying to make his face look saddened.

" I wish I didn't. I'd rather sit up here watching stupid cable movies instead."

" What sane person wouldn't rather watch movies?"

" I don't know."

Do you want to get back in bed before I go, or do you want me to leave you like

this?"

" Could you push me over to the window? I want to be as close as possible when I

jump."

" And why do you want to jump?"

" This pain is driving me up a wall. It feels like an elephant stabbed me in the chest

then sat on top of the knife."

" I don't think I've ever had a patient put it that way."

" How many patients have you had that have been through such an extensive

trauma that turned down painkillers?"

" Can't say I've had too many."

" Leave it to me to be the different one," Kyle said with a cough.

" I've got to go," she replied suddenly as her pager went off. She gave him a quick

kiss then rushed out the door. After watching her hurry down the hallway for as far as he

could see, Kyle turned back to the window. With a slight struggle, he undid the lock and

opened it, allowing his room to be consumed with fresh air. He breathed in greedily, filling

his lungs with air. Almost immediately a racking cough consumed him. After taking a few

more deep breathes to stop the coughing, Kyle thought to himself,

'It's sad that it hurts to breath in real air.' Turning himself back towards the

window, Kyle shut it. There was nothing outside that was interesting enough to look at.

With nothing else to do besides watch television, Kyle pushed himself to the doorway.

There had to be some kind of something to amuse him out in the hospital. He inched his

way out slowly, looking both ways for any of the nurses he knew Lily would have

watching him like a hawk. When he saw that the coast was clear, Kyle entered the elevator

and pushed the number one. Maybe there was some half decent form of entertainment in

the lounge. When the elevator doors opened, Kyle pushed himself out and down the

hallway to the doctor's lounge on the left. He went inside and found that it was empty.

Going over to the coffee table, Kyle found a stack of magazines. After going through

them, he selected the National Weekly News. The cover sported in rather large letters,

"BIGFOOT AND WIFE ANNOUNCE BIRTH OF THEIR CHILD."

Underneath it, a smaller title read, " HOW TO TELL IF YOUR SPOUSE HAS BECOME

POSSESED BY AN ALIEN SPIRIT."

Kyle opened the magazine and immediately found himself laughing so hard he

couldn't breath. He attempted to stop, but this just caused him to cough uncontrollably.

Finally, after a glass of water, Kyle found himself able to breathe again.

After finishing a few more magazines, Kyle found himself both cold and tired. He

went back upstairs and got into bed flawlessly. When he was done hooking up all the

wires and IV's again, he burrowed himself under the covers. With a loud cough, he closed

his eyes and immediately fell asleep.


End file.
